Blue Tradition, Marlene My Love ready for Eight Thirty Sprint

VISION OF GOLD (outside) with Omar Walker aboard and COUNTER ATTACK (Linton Steadman) finished in a dead-heat in last Saturday’s 10th race at Caymanas Park. VISION OF GOLD gave trainer Wayne DaCosta his 2,000th win at the Park.

The three-year-old campaign leading up to the Guineas classics in April gets under way at Caymanas Park today with the Eight Thirty Sprint over the straight five course confined to native bred fillies taking the spotlight.

As is usually the case, the race will be run in two divisions, with 11 declared for the first, and nine for the second. Five debutants are down to contest division one, and judging from the manner in which PAPER CHASER from the Wayne DaCosta stable, and the Dwight Chen-trained EARTH ANGEL have been carrying themselves at exercise, either could win.

PAPER CHASER, a chestnut filly by Fearless Vision out of Money Spinner, looked easy out of the straight last Saturday morning in 101:3 by 48.1, while EARTH ANGEL galloped from the gate last Monday in 1:01.1 by 47.3, looking that much sharper than PAPER CHASER.

However, they will have to reckon with the pair of BLUE TRADITION and DELPHINIUM, despite both having disappointed on their recent debut behind SARAH LEE over 1100 metres on December 24, finishing fourth and last place, respectively.

BEST WORK OUT

The Anthony 'Baba' Nunes-trained BLUE TRADITION was installed an even-money favourite over 1100 metres, but despite this she missed the break, and ran wide into the straight, when attempting to mend. Having ran green that day, the bay filly by Blue Pepsi Lodge out of Source Of Tradition will be a lot better for the experience, having galloped 1:01.1 by 47.1 from the gate a week ago, and could well recoup losses with in-form apprentice Linton Steadman aboard.

Lorenzo Robinson's DELPHINIUM turned in the best work out of the straight last Tuesday, galloping 1:01.1 by 46.3 and coming from a favourable draw on the outside, will not be out of it. The vote, however, goes to BLUE TRADITION.

Division two looks much easier to unravel, as the Dwight Chen-trained MARLENE MY LOVE (Dane Nelson up) has looked so forward In condition that she is tipped to get off the mark immediately. The bay filly by Adore The Gold out of Miss Chestnut looked sharp at exercise on Wednesday morning, galloping out of the straight in 1:01.1 by 47.3 and will be hard to beat.

Elsewhere on the 11-race programme, Nelson's mount, SILVER CLOUD should win the day's supporting feature for the Allan "Billy" Williams Memorial Trophy over 1400 metres to be contested by 11 overnight allowance horses.

Trained by Steven Todd, the grey SILVER CLOUD is not among the fancied runners but has the capacity to win a race of this nature and gets the nod over UNCLE TAF and ROYAL VIBES. I also like BIMINI to win the first race, FRANKENSTORM to repeat in the second, SMASH AMUSEMENT in the fourth and MARVELLOUS MARVA in the eighth.